Quote:
Originally Posted by dark_crystal
The boomers dropped the baton when they turned into yuppies.
Gen X saw all the hippies turn hypocrite and then a whole bunch of hippie parents chose their kids' childhood as a time to "find themselves," embracing divorce like sliced bread.
The generation that said "never trust anyone under 30" turned 40 while we were watching and it wasn't pretty.
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Perhaps, some Boomers turned into yuppies. Folks I went to college with did so on full financial aid (tuition, books, fees, housing) with part-time jobs in the evening and weekend hours. We still found time to protest the Vietnam Conflict, attempt to get the E.R.A. passed, work with NARAL for women's right to choose, participate in actions for racial equality, and other causes that needed help.
Very few of the people I went to school with, were able to buy houses or have a stock portfolio. We lived in rehabbed areas of cities with used or given furniture. Yes, I had 7 bookcases in my place, but they were of the sort bought at Wal-mart and assembled with a screwdriver and 2 friends.
I rode a bike most places, if I didn't ride the bus on my discounted bus pass.
Worked my tail off for a double degree, Marxist Studies/Political Philosophy and Professional Nursing at the same time.
I have known several months of homelessness, not knowing where an open couch would be or how we would get something to eat. Have spent many a day panhandling at the end of freeway exits for food or a bed. Lived in a homeless shelter for a month, and had to make "midnight moves" to leave apartment to avoid court eviction leaving a majority of my belongings behind. This is just a sample of one Boomer. I have several friends with similar stories. Most of us were not well off, and did not live a privileged life.
We did; however, make a difference and improve the lives of who we could.